Fire-escape.



1. 0. WCK.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION men MAY 4.1914.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

JACOB O. WICK, OF CLIFFORD, NORTH DAKOTA..

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 16, 1917.

To all whom t may concern Bc it known that l, JACOB O. l/Vrcn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cliiford, in the county of Traill, State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and l do hereby declare the following to be al full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fire escapes, and more particularly to the class of lire escapes wherein a rope and tackle are used.

An object of this invention is to provide a device which during its operation will allow a person to be lowered slowly to the ground. A

.i further object of the invention is to V provide a device wherein the passenger carrying parts may be quickly operated to a position for receiving the passenger.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a. device that will be entirely automatic in its operation during the lowering of a passenger to the ground.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description progresses, my invention comprises the combination and arrangement of parts as herein set forth and subsequently claimed.

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a front view of my device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the saine. Fig. 3 is a section on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the ends of the spool showing the pawls in place thereon. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the device.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters wherein like parts are indicated by like characters, my device comprises a pulley 1 and means attached thereto for carrying a passenger.

The pulley member 1 is adapted to be secured to a window sill or any suitable pro- Iiection on a building when it is in use and comprises a frame 3 made up of two side members 4 and 5, the body portions of which are parallel and spaced from each other and the upper portions of which converge. The upper ends of these members 4 and 5 are parallel and spaced and have apertures 6 therein. Extending between the upper ends of the members 4 and 5 is a 'pivoted plate 7 having trunnions '8 thereon. extending through the apertures 6 and secured therein by nuts 9. A hole 10 is formed centrally of this member 7 and secured within said hole is a hook 11 having a shank extending through the hole and a washer 13 on the end of said shank and held in place thereon by the upsetting of the said ends. This hook 11 is adapted to engage a window sill or similar projection to suspend the frame 1 therefrom.

Each of the members 4 and 5 of the frame 3 is apertured, as at 14, and extending between the members 4 and 5 and through the apertures 14 is a steel axle 15 which is rotatable in said apertures and on which is securely mounted a spool 16 of such formation as shown in Fig. 1 and preferably made of polished aluminum. The ends of the axle 15 extend outwardly beyond the ends of the said members 4 and 5 of the frame 3 and are supported by bearing boxes 17 formed on the said side members.

Formed on the inside of the side member 4 is an annular flange 18 having ratchet teeth 19 on its face and encircling the axle 15.

0n the ends of the spool 16 is secured by screws 2O circular anges 21 to prevent the rope which encircles the said pulley from riding ofi' of the same.

0n the flange 21 adjacent the rack teeth 19 are pivoted two pawls 22 at 23 which are normally held in engagement with the rack teeth 19 on the flange 18 by springs 24 which bear against the said pawls and the axle 15 and are secured at their ends at 25 to prevent the said spool 16 from rotating in one direction, but allowing it to rotate in the other direction, the purpose of which will appear later. y

In the lower ends of the members 4 and 5 are formed holes 26 through which a shaft 27 passes and connects the members 4 and- 5 and is secured at each of its ends to the said members by nuts 28 and 29, one being arranged on the outside of the members 4 and 5 and the other on the inside thereof. This shaft serves to hold the lower ends of the members 4 and 5 together and in spaced relation. Additional apertures 30 are formed in the lower ends of these members and in each of these apertures is secured a ring 31 by a shank 32.

A rope 38 is wrapped about the spool 16 from one to three times or in fact any number of times desired, and one end of the said rope eXtends downwardly through one of the rings 31 and while the other end of the said rope extends downwardly on the opposite side of the spool and through the other ring 31. Detachably secured to the end 34 of this rope is an additional rope 35 which extends downwardly and is looped, as at 36, and has a rigid ring 37 drawn over the bight portion of the said loop. This rope continues downwardly and has an additional loop 37 on its lower end to which a second ring 38 is secured in the manner in which the ring 37 is secured. Secured to this loop by a flexible member 39 is a pair of rings 40. A strap section 41 made of two parts adjustably held together by a buckle 42 is provided and which has snap hooks 43 on each of its ends and which are detachably engaged with the ring 37 and which strap is of sufficient length to encircle the body of a person, it being understood that the rings 40 are of sufficient diameter to receive the legs of a person.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that the body engaging strap, and the leg encircling rings 40, through the medium of rings 37 and 44, and rings 38 and 44 respectively are designed to be securely gripped, when under tension, to the rope 35. rlhus it will be seen that when the body engaging strap and the leg encircling rings have been positioned upon a person and his weight hung thereby the upper and lower rings will firmly grip the rope so that these rings will descend, together with the rope to which they are gripped, the speed of the descent being regulated by the speed of travel of the rope around the drum 16. It will also be seen that by reason of the attachment of the body belt 41 to the ring 37 there will be no tendency to pull the rope bodily through such ring as would be the ease were the body belt attached to the ring 44.

Ihe other end of the rope 33 after passing about the pulley extends downwardly through the rings 31 and 44, as at 45 and is attached to the ring 44. This rope 33 may be varied in length and should be of such length as required by the particular conditions so as to let the passenger carrying device be drawn to the sill or other projection on which the pulley member is supported.

In operation the device is hung by the hook 11 from a projection on the building and assuming that the passenger carrying device is at its uppermost position, the passenger places his legs through the ringsA 40 and encircles his body with the strap 41 attaches the snap hooks 43 to the ring 37, thus securing himself in position to be lowered. The weight of the individual causes the rope 33 to slide about the spool 16 which is held in stationary position by the engagement of the pawls 22 with the rack teeth 19. During the downward movement of the passenger carrying device 2 the rings 43 and 44 slide upon the rope 33 and may be guided thereby. By holding the spoolV 16 stationary and causing the rope 33 to be drawn thereabout by the weight of the passenger the passenger is lowered very slowly and the degree of speed by which he is lowered may be controlled by the number of times the rope 33 is wrapped about the spool. After the passenger has reached the ground and it is desirable to again place the passenger carrying device in its uppermost position it is only necessary to pull rapidly on the rope 33 which will rotate the spool 16 in the opposite direction, which rotation is permitted by the pawls 22 and the passenger carrying device 2 will be readily drawn to its Vuppermost position ready to receive another passenger. v y y From the foregoing description it may be seen that I have provided a device which will lower a passenger from a building with such a degree of speed that he will not be injured, and I have still further provided a device which will control the degree of speed.

I have further provided in such a device a construction which will allow the passen-V ger carrying device to be rapidly drawn to its passenger receiving position.

I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction of my device shown any further than is necessary by the claim, for it is obvious that numerous mechanical changes may be made `within the Scope'of the invention.

.INhat is claimed is In a fire escape, the combination with a fixed pulley having a rope wound thereon and depending therefrom, means comprising a ring encircling the depending portion of said rope, a second ring disposed at right angles to and partially encircling said first named ring, said depending portion of the rope passing over the second named ring, through the first named ring, and over the opposite side of the second named ring, a body sling detachably connected to said second ring, and additional gripping means arranged beneath the first named means embodying a pair of leg engaging rings for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, I afiix mysignature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB O. WICK.

Witnesses H. N. KLEV, H. A. KNUDsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

of grippingr 

